halves and quarters

this is long overdue, well a week at least, but here goes the start of the merdeka makan minum madness.
as malaysia celebrated half a century of independence or merdeka, a few friends gathered and toasted to the occasion with a laphroaig quarter cask single malt.
now, as everyone should know, laphroaig is known as the oiliest and most pungent - a medicinal nose is the most polite term - of whiskies or single malts in the known universe.
but the quarter cask is a different proposition altogether.
the pale gold 48 percent alcohol by volume single malt is smooth and aromatic to the nose and quite unlike its 10 year old cousin.
we took a wee dram to taste and it was smooth, soft and pleasing at first bite before the peatiness kicked in and throats were cleared to accommodate the fiery spirit as it streamed through to a zesty finish.
wonderful. that was the verdict.
suffice to say the bottle emptied pretty fast as we freed the single malt from its container in the spirit of merdeka!